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My Yarra Valley Wine Tour Experience
I was first introduced to wine at the age of 10 by my parents. I would see them drink it on Christmas Eve or someone's birthday. I thought it was a "fancy" drink since they would drink it on special occasions. It made me curious as to what made it so special so during family dinner I asked for a sip from my mom.
I can't quite remember what my reaction was since it was a while back but I do remember that it made me sleepy. So when I was finally in the legal age to drink, wine would never be my first option. I'd go for cocktails-- an amaretto sour or a lychee martini (Both very girly girl choice of drinks). But later on towards the end of college, I found out how bad cocktails were because of the insane amount of sugar in it. I wanted to look for a healthier/ more slimming choice of drink. They said it's either I drink hard drinks on the rocks or wine.
I tried hard drinks while I still had the energy to keep up. Then in my mid 20s, I switched to wine as my go-to-drink. A glass of wine before going to sleep always relaxed me. Plus, the doctor did say that it's good for the heart.
"Oh no now that I like wine does that mean I'm turning into my parents?!" Kidding aside--- Ever since I discovered my love for wine, I was interested in learning more about it. My friend said that Melbourne was home to some of the best wines in the world.
I booked a winery tour in Yarra Valley via viator.com with Mika, my childhood best friend of over 15 years. It felt surreal that we were once in leotards in the 3rd grade dancing ballet and look where we are now, living on opposite sides of the world, (She's based in New York now) but toasting our wine glasses on a perfect day in Yarra Valley.
Our first stop: Domaine Chandon Winery
Chandon is known for making the best sparkling wines in the world and some of the most expensive ones too.
The sommelier will walk you through all the kinds of sparkling wines that they offer-- Starting with their dry wines to their sweetest wine. Their sweetest wine is Rosé which was my favorite.
 |
| They have private rooms perfect for having a wine night with a group of friends |
 |
| Look how beautiful our backdrop is! This photo was taken by our tour guide. |
Second Stop: De Bartoli Winery
De Bartoli has been around for almost a decade. It's one of the biggest family-owned wineries in the world. I couldn't agree more with their motto, " Semper ad Majora ("Always striving for better"). In my opinion, their wines were the best. I took home a bottle of their Chardonnay because I loved it so much.
 |
| In 2017, Noble One won as the best sweet dessert wine in Melbourne |
All of us were a bit tipsy already for wine tasting. We needed to get some food in our system. We went to Medhurst Wines for lunch. The tour costs $140 per person including all the fees of the wine tastings, lunch, and pick up and drop off at the hotel.
 |
| Cold Cuts for Appetizers |
 |
| Lamb Meatball for Main Course |
Our last stop: Yerring Winery
Yerring is the smallest among the three because it's a boutique winery but their wine selection did not disappoint. Their most famous for their red wines. I'm more of a white wine kind of girl but I did enjoy sipping their Pinot Noir.
I was first introduced to wine at the age of 10 by my parents. I would see them drink it on Christmas Eve or someone's birthday. I thought it was a "fancy" drink since they would drink it on special occasions. It made me curious as to what made it so special so during family dinner I asked for a sip from my mom.
I can't quite remember what my reaction was since it was a while back but I do remember that it made me sleepy. So when I was finally in the legal age to drink, wine would never be my first option. I'd go for cocktails-- an amaretto sour or a lychee martini (Both very girly girl choice of drinks). But later on towards the end of college, I found out how bad cocktails were because of the insane amount of sugar in it. I wanted to look for a healthier/ more slimming choice of drink. They said it's either I drink hard drinks on the rocks or wine.
I tried hard drinks while I still had the energy to keep up. Then in my mid 20s, I switched to wine as my go-to-drink. A glass of wine before going to sleep always relaxed me. Plus, the doctor did say that it's good for the heart.
"Oh no now that I like wine does that mean I'm turning into my parents?!" Kidding aside--- Ever since I discovered my love for wine, I was interested in learning more about it. My friend said that Melbourne was home to some of the best wines in the world.
I booked a winery tour in Yarra Valley via viator.com with Mika, my childhood best friend of over 15 years. It felt surreal that we were once in leotards in the 3rd grade dancing ballet and look where we are now, living on opposite sides of the world, (She's based in New York now) but toasting our wine glasses on a perfect day in Yarra Valley.
Our first stop: Domaine Chandon Winery
Chandon is known for making the best sparkling wines in the world and some of the most expensive ones too.
The sommelier will walk you through all the kinds of sparkling wines that they offer-- Starting with their dry wines to their sweetest wine. Their sweetest wine is Rosé which was my favorite.
|
| They have private rooms perfect for having a wine night with a group of friends |
|
| Look how beautiful our backdrop is! This photo was taken by our tour guide. |
Second Stop: De Bartoli Winery
De Bartoli has been around for almost a decade. It's one of the biggest family-owned wineries in the world. I couldn't agree more with their motto, " Semper ad Majora ("Always striving for better"). In my opinion, their wines were the best. I took home a bottle of their Chardonnay because I loved it so much.
|
| In 2017, Noble One won as the best sweet dessert wine in Melbourne |
All of us were a bit tipsy already for wine tasting. We needed to get some food in our system. We went to Medhurst Wines for lunch. The tour costs $140 per person including all the fees of the wine tastings, lunch, and pick up and drop off at the hotel.
|
| Cold Cuts for Appetizers |
|
| Lamb Meatball for Main Course |
Our last stop: Yerring Winery
Yerring is the smallest among the three because it's a boutique winery but their wine selection did not disappoint. Their most famous for their red wines. I'm more of a white wine kind of girl but I did enjoy sipping their Pinot Noir.
The Long Weekend in Dumaguete & Siquijor
There isn't an island in the Philippines that I don't love. Each is beautiful in its own way. I've seen islands with flourishing culture while some that are bare and untouched. I've seen islands with 5-star resorts while some that don't even have electricity. I've seen islands with different cuisines to choose from while some that only have canned goods. It's eye-opening to see both sides. Dumaguete and Siquijor were complete opposite rom one another despite just being a few kilometres away from each other.
Dumaguete was colonized by the Spaniards. Their churches, schools, and hospitals were all originally put up by them. They helped the island progress while Siquijor fell a little behind. They used to be part of Negros Oriental, the same region Dumaguete is part of. However, they kept insisting that they wanted their own government. They rebelled and eventually the Spaniards gave them their freedom. The people of Siquijor refused the help of the Spaniards instead they to the supernatural.
 |
| Checking in Sea Dream Resorts |
Day 1: Explore Dumaguete on a Motorbike
Our long weekend started by flying to the island of Dumaguete. It was both my boyfriend and I's first time there but my friends were telling me it was better than Boracay and Palawan so my expectations were very high. We didn't make any big plans for our first day. We just wanted to settle in the hotel and explore the island on our own. We rented out a motorbike and just drove around.
 |
| Here's the motorbike we rented from our hotel. It costs Php500/day to rent it. |
Our first stop while driving around was Dumaguete's famous House of Silvanas. They have the best recipe in the Philippines. If you don't know what silvanas are, they are pastries made up of buttercream. They are delicious and addicting! I can eat a whole box in one sitting.
Our next stop was Liquid Beach and Dive Resort for dinner and drinks. Then we called it a night. We needed to save all our energy for our tour the next day.
There isn't an island in the Philippines that I don't love. Each is beautiful in its own way. I've seen islands with flourishing culture while some that are bare and untouched. I've seen islands with 5-star resorts while some that don't even have electricity. I've seen islands with different cuisines to choose from while some that only have canned goods. It's eye-opening to see both sides. Dumaguete and Siquijor were complete opposite rom one another despite just being a few kilometres away from each other.
Dumaguete was colonized by the Spaniards. Their churches, schools, and hospitals were all originally put up by them. They helped the island progress while Siquijor fell a little behind. They used to be part of Negros Oriental, the same region Dumaguete is part of. However, they kept insisting that they wanted their own government. They rebelled and eventually the Spaniards gave them their freedom. The people of Siquijor refused the help of the Spaniards instead they to the supernatural.
|
| Checking in Sea Dream Resorts |
Day 1: Explore Dumaguete on a Motorbike
Our long weekend started by flying to the island of Dumaguete. It was both my boyfriend and I's first time there but my friends were telling me it was better than Boracay and Palawan so my expectations were very high. We didn't make any big plans for our first day. We just wanted to settle in the hotel and explore the island on our own. We rented out a motorbike and just drove around.
|
| Here's the motorbike we rented from our hotel. It costs Php500/day to rent it. |
Our first stop while driving around was Dumaguete's famous House of Silvanas. They have the best recipe in the Philippines. If you don't know what silvanas are, they are pastries made up of buttercream. They are delicious and addicting! I can eat a whole box in one sitting.
Our next stop was Liquid Beach and Dive Resort for dinner and drinks. Then we called it a night. We needed to save all our energy for our tour the next day.
What Makes the Great Ocean Road So Great
The Great Ocean Road is a very long stretch, 664 kilometres long to be exact. Coming from Melbourne, it would take at least three days to finish. Starting from Torquay and ending in Port Fairy. If only my friends and I had the the luxury of time we would do the entire tour but to our dismay, my best friend Mika was only in town for the weekend while my friend Mandee had exams the next day. We could only accommodate the day tour in our schedule.
There are many tours available for you to choose from ranging from 5 days (the full experience with many activities) to one day- the tour just like ours. I logged on to viator.com and typed "Great Ocean Road" and chose the best tour based on the reviews. We went with Go West Tours. It costs $104 per person. Breakfast and lunch are already included in this price along with transportation, tour guide and the entrance fees to the sites you will be visiting. Only dinner is at your own expense.
We started the day at 7 am. The shuttle picked us up in South Yarra then we may our way to our first stop Torquay, a famous surf town. It was way too cold out to surf. We just found a bench to sit down on while we ate our breakfast and enjoyed the view.
 |
| Our tour groupmates setting up our breakfast spot |
After Toruqay, we made our way to Kennet River. This was where we were going to see one of Australia's native animals, the Koala! They are a thousand times cuter in person. Sadly, it was too difficult to take a photo of them because they were way up high on the trees. We got to take photos with the birds instead.
The Great Ocean Road is a very long stretch, 664 kilometres long to be exact. Coming from Melbourne, it would take at least three days to finish. Starting from Torquay and ending in Port Fairy. If only my friends and I had the the luxury of time we would do the entire tour but to our dismay, my best friend Mika was only in town for the weekend while my friend Mandee had exams the next day. We could only accommodate the day tour in our schedule.
There are many tours available for you to choose from ranging from 5 days (the full experience with many activities) to one day- the tour just like ours. I logged on to viator.com and typed "Great Ocean Road" and chose the best tour based on the reviews. We went with Go West Tours. It costs $104 per person. Breakfast and lunch are already included in this price along with transportation, tour guide and the entrance fees to the sites you will be visiting. Only dinner is at your own expense.
We started the day at 7 am. The shuttle picked us up in South Yarra then we may our way to our first stop Torquay, a famous surf town. It was way too cold out to surf. We just found a bench to sit down on while we ate our breakfast and enjoyed the view.
|
| Our tour groupmates setting up our breakfast spot |
After Toruqay, we made our way to Kennet River. This was where we were going to see one of Australia's native animals, the Koala! They are a thousand times cuter in person. Sadly, it was too difficult to take a photo of them because they were way up high on the trees. We got to take photos with the birds instead.
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